Begin your study of Apes and Monkeys by Barbara Taylor with a discussion about what your students know about apes and monkeys. Questions can include:
• Have you ever visited a zoo and seen apes or monkeys? What do you remember about them?
• Where do apes and monkeys live?
• What different types of apes or monkeys do you know?
• Is a chimpanzee an ape or a monkey? How can we find out?
As the children give their answers, start creating a KWL chart to keep track of the many things they know and would like to know about apes and monkeys. As the class reads the book, refer back to the KWL chart and add new things they learn.
Sample KWL Chart:
Apes and Monkeys |
| What we know about apes and monkeys |
What we would like to learn about apes and monkeys |
What we learned about apes and monkeys |
Some apes live in trees.
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How are monkeys different from apes?
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Apes can make and use tools.
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Standards:
Language Arts:
- Generates questions about topics of interest
- Uses a variety of sources to gather information
- Makes contributions in class and group discussions
- Relates new information to prior knowledge and experience
Highlighted vocabulary words are found at the bottom of the pages in the book. Additional words from the text that you should focus on are:
upright (page 7)
woodland (page 8)
graceful (page 9)
intelligent (page 16)
waterproof (page 16)
position (page 18)
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flexible (page 18)
grassland (page 22)
swamp (page 22)
scamper (page 30)
agile (page 33)
breeding (page 40)
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Our suggestions on how to use these words effectively are found on page 2 of the guide.
Standards:
Language Arts:
- Uses word reference materials to determine the meaning and pronunciation of unknown words
- Uses a variety of context clues to decode unknown words
• More fun than a barrel of monkeys
• Monkey see, monkey do
• Stop monkeying around.
• You big ape
• You made a monkey out of me.
• I go ape over you.
• You're a big baboon.
There are many familiar expressions that we use that refer to monkeys and apes. We can guess that these phrases evolved as people observed the animals' behavior and physical characteristics.
For example, Barbara Taylor tells us, "Monkey babies watch the other monkeys in the troop in order to learn how to climb and leap, which food is good to eat, and how to behave." Monkeys — just like human babies — learn by imitation. That may be the basis for the saying, "Monkey see, monkey do."
Discuss some of the other expressions. Have each child select a favorite and illustrate it.
Have the class make graphic organizers about a specific ape and gather information from Apes and Monkeys and from other resources. As they work on their organizers, they can consult the index of the book to check details about the ape they have chosen.
Be sure to remind them to use the text and the photographs to gather their information.
Sample graphic organizer:
The circle map can be used to map out what the children know or learn about a specific topic.
When the circle maps are completed, have each student write a story about the ape he or she mapped.
After the children have finished work on the apes, they should make circle maps for some of the monkeys they read about. Remind them to also include what they observe in the pictures of monkeys in the book.
Your students can compare and contrast what they learn about apes and monkeys by using a double bubble map.
Sample double bubble map:
Standards:
Language Arts:
- Generates questions about topics of interest
- Uses a variety of sources to gather information
- Makes contributions in class and group discussions
- Relates new information to prior knowledge and experience
Language Arts/Writing:
- Uses a variety of sources to gather information
- Summarizes information in own words
Curious George is a world-famous literary monkey. Your students probably know him well. Read several Curious George books with the class.
Talk about the kinds of mischief Curious George gets into. Then have the children write their own adventures of Curious George.
One possible title could be, The Day Curious George Came to Our Class.
Have the children illustrate their stories. Bind them together in a single volume called The Collected Stories of Curious George As Told by Class (your class name).
Standards:
Language Arts/Writing:
- Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
- Writes in a variety of forms or genres
- Understands elements of character development
Cooperative Learning:
- Works with others to produce a common goal
Apes and monkeys can communicate with each other by making sounds, making faces, and positioning their bodies to express different messages.
Divide the class into groups and have each group act out a scene the way a group of apes or monkeys might. Have the "audience" guess what the messages are.
Standards:
Language Arts/Listening and Speaking:
- Makes contributions in class and group discussions
- Asks and responds to questions
- Uses a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication skills
Language Arts/Communication Skills:
- Organizes ideas for oral presentations
- Makes basic oral presentations to class
Theater Arts:
- Uses variations of locomotor and non-locomotor movement and vocal pitch, tempo and tone for different characters
- Understands the visual, aural, oral, and kinetic elements of dramatic presentations
- Knows how to interact in improvisations
Cooperative Learning:
- Works with others to produce a common goal
This guide was created by Clifford Wohl, Educational Consultant
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